2017 Annual Report

St. James’ Episcopal Church, Mount Vernon 5614 Old Mill Road, Alexandria, VA 22309

(703) 780-3081 Office@StJamesMV.org

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Empowered by the Holy Spirit to be faithful disciples of Jesus, St. James’ Episcopal Church serves as a beacon of God’s love and as a caring

Christian family for the community, the nation and the world by seeking to restore all to unity with God and one another

and by proclaiming the Good News through worship, witness, education, fellowship and service.

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Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Philippians 4:4

This church of St. James' had much cause to rejoice during the past year.

We gathered to rejoice in worship; we rejoiced in the work we did to feed

the hungry; we rejoiced in the fellowship that we shared with one

another. In all we did, we rejoiced in the presence of Jesus and the love of

God.

The life of the church was enlivened by the opportunities we had to share

fellowship and ministry with our neighbors at Epiphany Lutheran

Church. Picnics, worship on Reformation Sunday and Thanksgiving Eve,

and joint mission in Stop Hunger Now all helped build up both of our

communities. We can look forward to more ways to enrich our lives together in Christ.

St. James' continues to feed the hungry, through the weekly food donations in the "Red Wagon,"

the monthly meals prepared for Rising Hope, and the meals packed during our Stop Hunger Now

event. Even as Jesus feeds us, so we give to feed others.

We also enjoyed a series of recitals, featuring the voice students of Kevin Diana. These concert

performances were a tremendous gift for those who attended, and they grew in popularity as

more were invited to attend. The recitals were also effective fundraisers, both for the church and

for disaster relief following the many natural disasters of the year.

In 2017 St. James' said farewell to several long-time and much-beloved members. At the same

time we welcomed new members and families. Our witness to Jesus is always the same, even as

the body of the church is always changing.

As St. James' began its 60th Anniversary Year, we ran a successful "60 for 60" campaign to raise

$60,000 for building improvements. Great thanks are due to Bob Fitz, Andrew Richard, and Mary

Bramley for their leadership in this campaign. In addition, our annual stewardship campaign for

2018 exceeded 2017 by $15,000. All thanks for that are due to you, the people of St. James'.

In 2018, we look forward to more rejoicing! We will be making improvements to heating and A/C,

and replacing old windows. We will be increasing the offerings for the newer and younger

members of the church, and looking for new ways to reach out to invite and welcome people. And

we will continue to build on the programs we have now. In all that we do, we seek to love and

serve the Lord. Thanks be to God!

Charles+

Message from the Rector

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Minutes from the 2017 Annual Meeting January 22, 2017

Father Charles Brock called the Annual Meeting of the Parish to order at 11:30am. He led the

parish in the opening prayers.

The minutes of the 2016 Parish Meeting were presented. Bob Fitz moved that the minutes be

approved as written. Suzanne Synnestvedt seconded the motion. The minutes were approved.

Parish Treasurer Bill Iber presented the Year-End Financial Report for 2016. Bill discussed the

actual receipts and expenditures and answered questions concerning his report.

Ray Smith, Junior Warden, presented the Budget for 2017. Ray discussed the individual line items

and answered questions.

Ray Smith presented the nominees for Vestry: Ben Justesen and Rosemarie Richard. He thanked

them for their willingness to serve. Fr. Charles called for nominees from the floor. There being

none, a motion to elect the nominees by acclamation was made by Ray. Jane Fitz seconded the

motion and the nominees were elected by a unanimous vote.

Mike Morgan, Senior Warden, recognized the outgoing Vestry members Eric Katz and David Lowe

and thanked them for their service.. He recognized Bill Iber outgoing Treasurer of the Parish with

a gift and thanks for his dedicated service over the past five years. Mike summarized the major

repair work on the church and thanked all those who had donated to the repair work and to other

special projects during the year. He said that there should only be minor repairs during the coming

year. Mike answered questions from the parish about the work that had been done and what might

be needed in the future.

Fr. Charles said that 2016 had been a good year, with an excellent worship program, great music,

successful Christian formation and outstanding participation in our outreach program. We have

had a seminarian, Layton Porter, with us since September and he has added greatly to our parish

life.

Fr. Charles challenged the parish to look back to the founding of the parish almost sixty years ago.

We need to remember why we are here, who are our neighbors and how do we serve them?

Fr. Charles closed the meeting with prayer and a dismissal at 12:10 pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Marge Smith Register

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Senior Warden Administration & Finance

During the past year I have noticed a lot of enthusiasm and that has been shown in what has been

accomplished. Throughout the year, we have had our usual variety of events. Three new events

this year were Game Night, and Kevin Diana’s student recitals and a Christmas program which

were well received. Outreach was strong this year, starting with the Martin Luther King Day

Food Drive and continuing throughout the year with the Missions of the Quarter, the “little red

wagon,” and Christmas gifts sent to UCM for needy children. I think those who participated in the

Rise Against Hunger event would say that event was the Outreach highlight of the year. The

Yard Sale, Bake Sales and BBQ were very successful fundraisers.

This year we had several joint services with Epiphany Lutheran Church. They also participated

in our fall picnic and the Rise Against Hunger event. This limited interaction seemed to be well

received by both congregations. Having a neighboring church that knows who we are and vice

versa is to be desired.

Financially, 2017 was better than recent years. In the summer we began our “60 for 60

Campaign” to raise money to upgrade the very old components of our HVAC system and to replace

the old single pane windows in Braxton Hall with more energy efficient double pane glass. Mary

Bramley applied to the Diocese of Virginia for a Peter James Lee Small Church grant and we

received $5,000. Starting with the grant money and then with generous contributions and

pledges from our members we were able to meet the goal of $60,000. We expect to be able to start

the HVAC and window projects very soon. Our 2018 stewardship campaign was very successful in

that we received $15,000 more in pledges than was pledged for 2017.

The list of who should be thanked for all their work for the church is long. Maybe you served in

one or more of the following ways: in the choir, at the altar, as an usher, as a reader, on the Altar

Guild, as a member of the Brotherhood of St. Andrew or the Daughters of the King, as a counter, a

Sunday School teacher, helped with snacks and coffee, on the Vestry, involved with Outreach,

helped with various events and fundraisers (the Yard Sale, Bake Sales, and BBQ) and made

monetary contributions and last, but not least, with your prayers. Special thanks goes to our

rector, Father Charles Brock, who guides with love and a great sense of humor. I very much

appreciate and thank each of you for what you did for St. James’ this past year. To keep St.

James’ active for the glory of God takes a collective effort from all of us.

Sadly in 2017, three longtime and faithful members of our parish died: Hank Morgan, Gus Braun

and Muriel Freeman. We will most certainly miss them. But we were blessed by new babies. We

welcomed Sophie Diana, Amelie Rhoads and Emanuelle Brown – all born in 2017.

Ray Smith

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Junior Warden The 2017 year has been an exciting year for St. James’. We have seen great growth in our mem-

bership, our financial stability, and our outreach to the community and our missions. Through-

out the annual report, you will read about the many accomplishments of the church as seen

through the eyes of the Vestry. St. James’ is very blessed with an active and enthusiastic vestry.

I am thankful for their service this past year. I will not try to retell their outcomes for the past

year, however, I wanted to take a moment to highlight our active and enthusiastic congregation.

Without the leadership of many of you, St. James’ would not be as fruitful as it has been in the

previous year.

In February, the Vestry decided to submit an application for the Peter James Lee Small Church

Revitalization Grant. This grant was to secure funding to help with the maintenance of the

church heating and cooling system. When we learned that we had been accepted, Bob Fitz and

Andrew Richard took leadership of running the 60 for 60 campaign, securing funding for the

heating and cooling system and installing weather windows. Under their leadership and the sup-

port of several members of St. James’ the campaign was successful in raising $60,000 in funds.

In the fall of 2016, spring of 2017, and summer 2017, St. James’ welcomed two seminarians,

Layton Porter in the fall and spring, and Seldon Walker in the Summer, each supported by a

Lay Committee. I would like to thank David Batcheller for chairing Layton’s and Marghe

Bowker, Cheryl Viani, and Paul Vivian for sitting on the committee. For Seldon; thank you to

Ben Justesen, Andrew Richard, Bill Iber, Lib Mueller and Diana Courtney.

In October, we completed our audit of the previous year. The audit was clean and showed our

continued devotion and careful managements of the church financials. I had the opportunity to

chair the audit committee, with Jane Woosgoh, Ellen Cleary, and Marge Smith serving on the

committee with me, with the assistance of our treasurer, Mike Morgan.

This past year, St. James’ opened its doors to the beautiful music of Kevin Diane’s Music Studio.

Kevin and his students have filled the sanctuary with music and pews with the community.

Kevin and Chris have generously donated proceeds from the concerts to St. James’, including

matching the gifts to be given to recovery efforts in Puerto Rico after the devastating hurricanes.

I look forward to many concerts in the future!

We are so appreciative of our Choir, lay readers, chalices and acolytes for their help in leading

worship services. We thank our Sunday School Teachers, who each week steward the children of

St. James’ in their knowledge and relationship with Jesus Christ.

Thank you to our Parish Family Angels, who each week help clean up after coffee hour and for

those that bring delightful treats for us to enjoy while fellowshipping after each service.

We thank the Alter Guild for their support in preparing the altar each Sunday. The Brotherhood

of St. Andrew for their efforts and their highly successful Pig Roast. Daughters of the King of

their continued prayers and support in preparing beautiful receptions.

I appreciate all those that help in the mission of the church, through bringing canned food each

week, preparing meals each week for Rising Hope, donating toys for UCM, and making gifts that

keep St. James’ relevant and helps us make an impact to our community.

So many people keep St. James’ running, Your work is appreciated and we could not have done it

without every member of St. James’. I look forward to 2018 and as we move into our 60th year.

Mary Bramley

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Plant & Property Plant & Property entails any repair/replacement for our church and rectory, and maintenance

of our lawns and grounds.

Church: We have compiled estimates for the replacement of our aging original HVAC system

that supplies air to the sanctuary and Braxton Hall; the system is still working but is requiring

more periodic attention and occasional expensive repairs. Replacement of the boiler, AC

exchangers, and outdoor compressor is tentatively scheduled to take place in the spring of

2018, thanks to the 60-for-60 capital fundraising campaign.

Braxton Hall’s windows should be replaced with state-of-the-art double-pane insulated

windows during the off-season before spring, as part of the 60-for-60 campaign. This should

help resolve lingering comfort problems within Braxton Hall!

Smaller repair projects accomplished in 2017 included carpet repairs in the sanctuary, repairs

to the ladies’ restroom, and the installation of new lighting fixtures in the sanctuary. Plans

for 2018 include painting the all-purpose restroom in Braxton Hall and repairs to the ceiling

spotlights in the sanctuary.

Grounds: Our grounds continue to be a source of beauty year round, thanks to hard work by

Peggy Rudesheim and others. And while our Garden Angels become fewer, they are still

generous; one donation paid for a major weeding and cleanup of the large flowerbed along the

parking lot, while another financed the purchase of replacement of 15 bushes in the

bioretention area, as required by Fairfax County.

Our fall clean-up day in early December was postponed because of inclement weather. A new

garden committee will tackle redesign of the garden areas and cleanup in the spring. Our

neighborhood friend Bette continues to benefit us with her volunteer weeding and clearing of

flowerbeds. So be sure to say hi to Bette if you see her at work!

More dead trees, limbs, and refuse still need to be removed from the grounds, as well as fallen

trees in the wooded area in the Stations of the Cross. We could really use some help in the

Stations area this spring and summer. Another "chipping party" will take place in the spring,

with luck!

Rectory: No major repairs were needed to the house in 2017. A new clothes dryer was installed.

Ben Justesen

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Christian Education Children’s Sunday school meets each week during the program year. It is led by a rotating team

of teachers. In 2017 our Sunday School teachers were Andrew & Ally Brown, Mark & Mckayla

Braden, Andrew & Rosemarie Richard, Heidi Brock & Diana Courtney, and Mary Lowe &

Francesca Wallace. Each week the children hear the Gospel story, say their prayers, and do a

craft or activity, often relying upon the weekly Children’s Bulletin. During 2017, the average

attendance was four children each week.

The Sunday morning Adult Forum meets each week during the program year in between the two

Sunday morning services. This is a time of fellowship and sharing. Ben Justesen regularly leads

this group to reflect on one or more of the scriptures appointed for the day, by posing a leading

question and offering his own observations and reflections. The resulting conversations are wide-

ranging and lively!

Wednesday Bible Study meets each week. The group has been using several video series to learn

about Church History and the development of our faith and doctrine. After watching a video

lecture, the group reacts and discusses the content, before sharing communion in the context of a

Healing Liturgy.

The Book Group has been a growing group in the church, with an engaged and committed group

who meets monthly. Some of the books they discussed in 2017 Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by

Helen Simonson and Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow.

The nursery continues to be open for use on Sunday mornings, but parents with small children

have more often been using the glass-walled library room to be with their children during our

worship. This room provides a safe place for restless children while enabling the parents to be

present for the gathered worship community.

Prepared by The Rev. Charles Brock

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Our parish family, although small, is truly a warm and welcoming congregation – and that is

what we hear consistently from newcomers who join us. When we break for the “passing of the

peace”, we no longer just turn to our left and right and shake hands. Some greet each and

everyone in attendance, spilling out of their “protected” pew to do so, and to do so

enthusiastically. To our congregation, this has evolved over time, but there is no going back. In

fact, Charles has to “coral” us back into our seats to return to service. This time clearly defines

us a “Close Parish Family!”

And of course we continue our family gathering after service during Happy Hour (aka coffee

hour). I want to thank all volunteers for this wonder ministry of snacks and fellowship – but we

do need more volunteers so please prayerfully consider putting your name on the sign-up sheet

in Braxton Hall. Phil Trott and Ellen Cleary are our quiet super heroes, but they need our

help!

While we have discarded some of our old social fellowship gatherings, we have gained some new.

A special surprise this year has been Kevin Diana’s sharing of his musical students for recitals

held at St. James. Not only have they been delightful and entertaining, but they have been

fundraisers as well – with over $1,500 raised for our church and for the hurricane victims this

year.

Our Friday Game Night is being restarted soon and be sure to mark on your calendar our always

sold out Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper and Talent night, coming early this year, February

13th!

Mike Morgan

Parish Family

Publicity, Growth & Evangelism In 2017, Publicity was added to Vestry position of Growth and

Evangelism. Increasing publicity for St. James’ church events became

a focus. Publicity venues were NextDoor, Mount Vernon Gazette and

Washington Post. The Yard Sale, Easter, Game Nights, Blessing of the

Animals, and the BBQ were publicized through these means.

In October, nine parishioners from St. James’ attended a conference

called Invite Welcome Connect. This conference brought attention to

how we always need to be inviting people to join us at church, the need for welcoming newcomers

once at church (which we have NO problem doing at St. James’!) and making sure those

newcomers become connected with our church. These people have now volunteered to form a

committee and work to put into action, ideas that were developed at this conference. We will

continue to complete these initiatives throughout the coming year.

A Garden and Lawn committee was formed with Plant and Property and Growth and

Evangelism to evaluate how to make the flower beds in front of the church, easier to manage.

This will enable us to continue to improve the outside of our church.

2018 ideas for Growth, Evangelism and Publicity are: rejuvenation projects inside and outside

the church, finding new ways in which to publicize our church and activities and bring new

members to St, James’.

Peggy Rudesheim

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More than 330 lay and clerical delegates from across the Diocese gathered at Christ Church,

Glen Allen, Saturday for the 223rd Annual Convention of the Diocese of Virginia.

The Convention delegates voted to approve Bishop Shannon Johnston's call, with the consent of

the Standing Committee, for the election of a second Bishop Suffragan. The election of the new

bishop is expected to be held within the next 18 months. The new suffragan will succeed Assis-

tant Bishop Ted Gulick, who is retiring at the end of this year.

The new Bishop Suffragan will maintain a primary office in Northern Virginia and will become

the third full-time bishop, joining Bishop Johnston and Bishop Goff.

The Convention delegates passed 10 additional resolutions addressing a broad range of issues

including combating wage theft; prevention of opioid addiction; improving public transportation;

and family leave for church employees. To read more about the resolutions, you may visit the

Diocese webpage.

Delegates passed a balanced budget which includes increased funding for campus ministries. In

his Pastoral Address, Bishop Johnston made a special appeal to each of the churches to increase

its pledge to the diocesan budget by 2.5% or $25 per $1,000 currently given to the Diocese.

Bishop Shannon pointed to three specific needs: employing college chaplains for all universities

in the Diocese; supporting fledgling and small mission congregations; and improving compensa-

tion to attract and retain diocesan staff.

Also in his Pastoral Address, Bishop Johnston spoke about the role of the Church in racial recon-

ciliation. "We learned from Charlottesville that when the Church shows up and takes a stand,

people notice and are themselves strengthened to oppose any form of injustice or inhumanity."

To read the full Pastoral Address, visit the Diocese web page.

The Convention closed with a tribute to Bishop Gulick, who was also the homilist at the Holy

Eucharist. Bishop Gulick will retire to his farm in Fauquier County and looks forward to con-

tinuing in an active role with the Diocese.

Stanley Dawson

Region 6 continues to support the San Marcos Mission at St. Mark’s. Unfortunately, they are

again seeking a part time Rector to lead them. Adolfo Moronta, a former Virginia Seminarian

that had provided a strong leadership role for over a year at San Marcos left at the beginning of

the year to accept a full time position out of state.

Charles Brock completed his three years as Dean of Region 6 and has been succeeded by the

Very Rev Kathy Guin of St. Margaret’s of Woodbridge.

Region 6 sponsored a very well received “Invite, Welcome, Connect” seminar held at St. Mark’s

in the fall. Many creative and “revival” concepts for newcomer ministry has been enthusiasti-

cally reviewed by St. James and others. New programs are being explored and implemented

within Region 6 to help grow our churches, and we are planning to share those successes and

processes within the region.

Mike Morgan

Delegates to Convention and Region VI

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Mission & Outreach

Your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. ~ Matthew 5:16

In 2017, St. James’ shined its light throughout the community and the world. We spent the

year donating money and time and showing our appreciation to those around us. In 2017,

we had no budgeted funds for Outreach, but we still cared for the needy in our area and

world.

Mission of the 1st Quarter: Gifts For Life, through Episcopal Relief & Development and wa-

ter barrels for the community in Kenya we support. Our congregation donated $80 to Epis-

copal Relief & Development for one goat and $1,675 to procure 500 gallon tank water bar-

rels for seven villages in Kenya to catch the March/April rains after the November/

December rains failed.

Mission of the 2nd Quarter: School Backpacks & supplies for children of UCM and Alice’s

Kids. We donated 8 backpacks and $40 for school supplies for the children of our Rt. 1 corri-

dor. We also donated $585 to Alice’s Kids to give financial assistance for the extras that so

enrich a child’s life, like camp fees, basketball shoes, prom tickets, etc.

Mission of the 3rd Quarter: Rise Against Hunger. We raised $1,500 through the Yard Sale

and Boutique and donations. On Saturday, November 18, about 50 parishioners, Epiphany

Lutheran Church members, community members, and friends arrived to bag and pack

10,000 meals to rise against hunger! Our food was shipped less than a month later to North-

ern Haiti Alliance in Haiti.

Mission of the 4th Quarter: Holiday gifts for Children of UCM. St. James’ congregation do-

nated 90 gifts and $200 towards the Holiday Gift Room.

On MLK Day of Service, January 16, 2017, St. James’ collected food to restock the food pan-

try of UCM. Our parishioners, as well as community members brought food all morning.

The day was a great success!

Hot Lunches for the Homeless at Rising Hope. St. James’ volunteers prepare and deliver

hot lunches twice each month to 70 people at Rising Hope Mission Church. These folks are

the areas poorest along our Route 1 corridor. Each lunch is so appreciated by those being

fed. In addition, the Red Wagon fills up weekly with food and clothing donations for the

pantry and closet at Rising Hope. This is an on-going mission.

The Yard Sale and Boutique in April raised $3,514.00. All items were donated by the con-

gregation. A portion of the funds ($1,500) started the fundraising for the 3rd Quarter Mis-

sion – Rise Against Hunger. Two truckloads of unsold goods were donated to the UCM.

April 29 is the date for 2017.

Additional outreach activities at St. James’:

Blessing of the Animals of the parish and neighborhood occurred in October.

We kept our roadside clean of litter, with at least quarterly clean-ups.

Collected money weekly for Nets for Life.

Dinner at El Paso to raise funds for the church. $187 was collected!

Kevin Diana hosted several concerts/recitals with his students. We are blessed to enjoy

the amazing voices of Kevin’s students.

Rosemarie Richard

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60th Anniversary Campaign

As St. James’ passed its 59th year as a congregation it became increasingly clear to almost

everyone the need for some critical upgrades to the heating, ventilation and air conditioning

systems (HVAC) of the church: it was increasingly noticeable that the temperature of the

church was almost never comfortable, either too hot in the summer or too cold in the winter.

The Vestry determined that the remediation of the church’s climate control deficiencies required

two simultaneous upgrades. The first upgrade needed was to totally renovate that portion of the

heating and air conditioning system that services the sanctuary and Braxton Hall. The second

upgrade needed was to install insulated (double pane) windows to both Braxton Hall and the

Education Wing. The cost for those upgrades was estimated at approximately $60,000.

The Diocese has a Grant program (Bishop Peter J. Lee Grant for Small Church Revitalization)

to which the Vestry in the spring of 2017 applied for financial support. The application was

successful, but the amount awarded, $5000, fell far short of the amount needed. Accordingly, the

Vestry at the beginning of September 2017 embarked on a 60th Anniversary Campaign pledge

drive to raise the needed funds, with a goal of $60,000 in pledges to be reached by our 60th

Anniversary on June 22, 2018. The congregation responded with a record outpouring of support

and by the end of September the goal of $60,000 was exceeded by several thousand dollars.

Bob Fitz and Andrew Richard, Co-Chairs Mary Bramley, Junior Warden and Vestry Point of Contact

60th Anniversary Campaign for Facility Improvements

“Remembering the Past; Building the Future”

Outreach Highlights!

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The music program at St. James’ is intended to provide faithful musical

leadership for corporate worship. Hymns, anthems, and other musical

offerings are prayerfully planned to complement the other portions of the

liturgy to accomplish the “people’s work.”

During the course of the year, there was music for sixty worship services,

including weekly Sunday Eucharist services, Morning Prayer, the Burial

Office, and Lessons and Carols for Christmas. On Reformation Sunday, we

marked the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation by conducting a joint service with

our neighbors from Epiphany Lutheran Church. The choir also participated in a Christmastime

concert along with students from parishioner Kevin Diana’s voice studio. Mr. Diana’s students

had also performed in two prior recitals at St. James’ during 2017. The annual Thanksgiving

Eve service was observed at Epiphany Lutheran Church with participation by the Rector and

music program. The practice of soliciting suggestions for summer hymns via “I’d like to sing”

forms continued.

The Wicks pipe organ is currently in good repair, but technical issues such as sticking keys,

notes that do not sound, and pipes that will not remain in tune continue to be occasional

problems. These are usually resolved during maintenance (tuning) visits or by the organist on

an as-occurring basis. The practice of two tunings per year (just prior to Easter and Christmas)

continues to be the norm. Because of the increasing issues with the organ console keyboards and

the organ itself, planning a third periodic maintenance visit for tuning and routine repairs is

highly recommended. Funding for this visit is not currently budgeted; it is suggested for

consideration among “Angel List” opportunities.

The members of the Adult choir and other parish musicians personify the strong heartbeat of

church life at St. James’. Their leadership and dedication is appreciated. You are invited to join

them for the fellowship and joy of singing praises to God at St. James’. As demonstrated this

Advent and Christmas by the seasonal participation of Mr. Mike Morgan, a commitment to

participate for a season or specific special service is an option for singers who cannot commit for

year-round choir membership. There’s always a choir chair waiting for you.

Alan Moser, Director of Music

Music

Altar Guild The Altar Guild is often called the silent service of church work. St. James' Altar Guild is a

group of women and men who prepare the church for worship. The group has many

opportunities for service. Two teams, alternating monthly, have done the set-up and clean up for

each Sunday service all year, plus taking care of extra services like funerals, weddings and

especially Christmas Eve. There are other support teams for the guild. The "linen ladies" do the

laundry. The Brass Team keeps every thing clean and shining. ( The Flower Committee designs

the special decor for Christmas and Easter. Volunteers execute the design. Special thanks go out

to Suzanne, Cheryl, Lib and Laurie and to all the workers for the Christmas decorations. And, a

very special thanks to the un-decorators-Winston & Laurie, Cheryl & Mike and Bill &Peg. Our

worship services would not be as lovely and traditional as they are without these silent services.

Every team needs more help. Please volunteer! And don't forget to sign up for Sunday Flowers

on the chart in the gallery.

Peg Iber

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The mission of the International Order of the Daughters of the

King is the extension of Christ’s kingdom through Prayer, Service

and Evangelism. Each Daughter takes a lifetime vow to live by the

Rule of the Order which encompasses these essential components.

The St. James’, Mount Vernon Chapter of the Daughters of the

King has carried out our mission and maintained an active

ministry. We have 12 active member at St. James’.

Prayer: The Prayer List is confidential and is activated whenever

we become aware that needs exist both within the parish and

beyond. During 2017, several members of the St. James’ family experienced serious illness,

accidents or other medical issues, as well as the loss of loved ones. The Daughters pray for

healing, strength, guidance, comfort and thanksgiving.

Service: The Daughters assist our rector as he serves the parish and as he requests. Included in

our service to St. James’ is the reading of scripture lessons during worship services, and service

as acolytes and serving the chalice. We thank our rector for his support of our service.

In addition to prayer, the Daughters provided support to individuals and families in the form of

transportation and delivery of meals in times of distress and through receptions following

funeral services.

Several Daughters participated in the preparation and offering of approximately 70 hot meals

twice a month to the Rising Hope mission ministry. The Daughters also made and presented

some fleece blankets to Rising Hope for its service to those in need.

Daughters may be observed in numerous other ministries that include: the Altar Guild;

Welcoming Team; Choir; hosting coffee hour after Sunday worship; the annual Yard Sale; and

decorating the church for special occasions.

We gratefully accept the help of and thank the members of the Brotherhood of St. Andrew for

their ever present and always willing help in implementing our mission.

Evangelism: Following the adage of “actions speak louder than words,” it is our objective “to live our lives so that those who do not know Christ will come to know Him because they know us.” We undertake studies and discussions to help us in this part of our mission.

We invite all women and girls to join us that we all may be

more enabled to experience God’s love and grace.

Cheryl Nostrand and Peg Iber

The Order of the Daughters of the King

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The Brotherhood of St. Andrew is an international ministry of men

here at St. James’, the Chapter was formed in the seventies but

declined to an inactive status in the eighties after the death of several

members and the departure of a longstanding rector. In 1998, with help

from the Pohick Church Chapter of the Brotherhood, the local chapter

was reactivated. We currently have about a dozen active members plus

several others who because of illness/age or relocation are inactive but

continue as valued members.

2017 was, as always, another year of service by the Brotherhood to the

Parish, Community and Nation. Meetings were usually held on the second Saturday of each

month, beginning with a breakfast at 8:00am followed by an hour or so meeting which includes

Prayer, a Bible-related Study, discussions of Church topics, and the planning/conduct of both

new and ongoing Service projects. A joint meeting with the Daughters of the King was held in

December, the Brotherhood providing the breakfast and the Daughters providing a Christmas

Cookie Exchange.

The Brotherhood maintains the Stations of the Cross, located in the forested area east of the

sanctuary, and which served in 2017 as a pathway of solemn worship for the noon-time Good

Friday service for our parish family. The Stations are open to all who wish to follow the Way of

the Cross during anytime of the year. We monthly provided Meals-on-Wheels service to shut-ins

who live in the southern area of the Mount Vernon District of Fairfax County. We have also

provided transportation to church services and functions and to medical appointments for a

number of St. James’ members this year as well.

Our big Fall event was our BBQ Pig Roast which generated over $1000.00 dollars for the

church’s general operating fund. In late November the Chapter held an induction of new

members and a rededication for all members during the 10:15 service. Finally, you likely saw

Brotherhood members engaged in providing support and assistance to the many St. James’ social

and service projects (set-up and take down of tables and chairs, food preparation and service,

yard work, building maintenance and repair, are just a few examples).

The mission of the Brotherhood of St. Andrew continues as it was many years ago, “to help men

grow in their faith in Jesus as the Christ and Son of God,” so together we can accomplish the

spread of Christ’s Kingdom among men and youth. This mission is accomplished through our

three continuing activities of PRAYER, STUDY and SERVICE and we invite all men and

teenage boys to participate.

Bill Iber, Chapter President

Brotherhood of St. Andrew

17

Budget: 2017 Actual & 2018 Approved

18

(continued)

19

(continued)

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Active Baptized Members

210 192 194 151 137 127 114 106 102 112 107

Average Sunday Attendance

112 126 100 103 79 63 74 71 70 58 60

Church School Students

24 34 30 4 0 4 8 19 21 15 10

Summary Statistics

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1. Call to Order The Rev. Charles Brock

2. Opening Prayer The Rev. Charles Brock

3. Approval of 2017 Annual Meeting Minutes Ray Smith

4. 2017 Year-End Financial Report Mike Morgan

5. Presentation of Approved 2018 Parish Budget Ray Smith

6. 2018 Vestry Nominations/Elections Mary Bramley

7. Senior Warden’s Comments Ray Smith

8. Rector’s Address The Rev. Charles Brock

9. Closing Prayers The Rev. Charles Brock

10. Dismissal The Rev. Charles Brock

St. James’ Annual Meeting Agenda

The Diocese of Virginia The Rt. Rev. Shannon S. Johnston, Diocesan Bishop

The Rt. Rev. Susan E. Goff, Bishop Suffragan

The Rt. Rev. Edwin F. "Ted" Gulick Jr., Assistant

Bishop

Rector The Rev. Charles F. Brock

Staff Alan Moser, Director of Music

Jenny Kennedy, Parish Administrator

2017 Vestry Ray Smith, Senior Warden/Admin. & Finance

Mary Bramley, Junior Warden

Ben Justesen, Plant & Property

Mike Morgan, Parish Family

Mark Braden, Christian Education

Peggy Rudesheim, Publicity, Growth & Evangelism

Rosemarie Richard, Mission & Outreach

Register, Marge Smith

Mike Morgan, Treasurer

Trustees Peg Iber, Lib Mueller, Ray Smith

St. James’ Episcopal Church, Mount Vernon